Erik ten Hag is facing mounting pressure over his position at Manchester United(Image: Visionhaus)

Erik ten Hag told the moment his Man Utd job was 'made impossible' after owner's decision

Manchester United were thumped 3-0 by Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sunday, and Alan Shearer believes Erik ten Hag has been left with an "impossible" job

by · Wales Online

Alan Shearer has claimed that Erik ten Hag has been left with an "impossible" task at Manchester United after the club's owners openly sought his replacement over the summer.

The Dutch manager has had a concerning start to the 2024/25 season, which was further compounded by a 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (September 29).

This marked United's second 3-0 loss at Old Trafford this season, following an identical defeat to Liverpool earlier in the month. The team has also only managed to score one goal at the Theatre of Dreams in their first three league games there which came in their first game against Fulham.

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During a recent episode of The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer, alongside regulars Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, suggested that INEOS - led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe - have made Ten Hag's job to return United to success "impossible" after their public search for his potential successor this past summer.

"As soon as it came out in the summer that Man United were looking at other managers, the manager was on a losing run," said the Newcastle icon.

"Even though he had his FA Cup win last year which was brilliant and they deserved to win it, as soon as it came out that they were looking at other managers last year, they just did not help him at all. It was virtually going to be impossible for him," Shearer concluded.

Ten Hag is in his third season at Old Trafford and has won two trophies so far(Image: Getty Images)

United had considered several high-profile names for the managerial role, including Brentford's Thomas Frank, ex-Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Tuchel, and Mauricio Pochettino. However, Ten Hag kept his job and was even handed a one-year contract extension which the club triggered in his deal.

Lineker weighed in on the situation, saying (via the Mirror): "It's hard to see him actually turning this around, he must be under terrible pressure, who knows what the owners think, you never know."

Following a third league defeat at the hands of Tottenham, Ten Hag was questioned about his job security. He confidently replied: "No, I am not thinking about this," and elaborated on the collective decision-making process within the club.

Shearer had sympathy for Ten Hag's predictament(Image: BBC)

"We all made together this decision to stay together, as an ownership, a leadership group in the summer, also we made the decision from a clear review what we have to improve and how we want to construct a squad.

"But we knew it will take some time, how the window went, some players late in like Ugarte. Also, we have to make some improvement in organisation, some injuries, we need some time. We are all on one page or in one boat together, the ownership, the staff and the players as well. I don't have that concern."

United's next fixtures include a tricky Europa League match against Porto away on Thursday (October 3), followed by a tough Premier League game against Aston Villa on Sunday (October 6) before the impending international break.